Enhancing Performance with Custom Gym Flooring Options (Intro) 

Let’s face it: In 2024, people want to be unique. From smartphone covers to dog onesies, conforming contradicts an innate desire to be unique. Sports and fitness facilities are no different; there is a growing need to brand everything, to stand out, and to make customers feel special. With this in mind, how can gym or sports flooring be customised? 

The most obvious way to get your custom gym flooring is with the actual flooring materials that are available. There are various options, each providing features and usability for multiple requirements. After deciding on a suitable material, most suppliers will have options for branding, floor graphics, and colour variations to match other elements of a gym’s design. 

It’s easy to add a touch of panache that gives a gym both striking visual appeal and functional practicality. Let’s take a look at the steps involved and learn how you can work towards giving your gym or sports facility that magnetic appeal. 

Choice of material

The flooring you choose – whether for a gym, a health club, or a sports centre – has an exponential impact on the success of your space. The material you choose, be it rubber, foam, carpet, vinyl, or turf, should meet the needs of the activity zone. The functional criteria include durability, versatility, athlete safety, equipment protection, maintenance requirements, and price point. 

However, we mustn’t overlook or underestimate the value of aesthetics. A simple search on the custom gym flooring topic will reveal several scientific research papers supporting the positive emotions that visually pleasing space can evoke. These benefits can affect the physical-emotional state of individuals while positively influencing feelings of well-being in social settings.

It’s true in some cases that ‘feelings’ and ‘visual impact’ constitute shallow selection criteria, but it’s critical to consider their impact in this specific instance. Do we want disjointed flooring lending an air of precariousness to the space? Elegant and contemporary flooring can emphasise freshness, cleanliness, and trustworthiness. 

Branding

Once you decide upon your flooring material preference, you can start considering custom gym flooring options that will help create a unique and inspiring space. Among the common and essential choices is the inclusion of coordinated brand elements, such as logos, mottos, and colourways. After all, a brand’s language and signalling create the right environment in keeping with the values of the enterprise.

It’s not just a matter of displaying the brand name to remind people where they are, but rather to contextualise the use of an area. Current marketing trends dictate that it’s vital for brand elements to be placed strategically for social media posts. It’s a subtle yet highly effective way of helping to generate brand recognition and social chatter. The most strategic locations are near mirrors, vanity stations, popular machines, and open-floor exercise areas. 

When customising flooring, incorporating brand elements is functional and straightforward to arrange. However, it’s important to be tactful and not overdo it; be astute and plan their placement accordingly. You don’t want to risk bombarding members with in-your-face branding. The right amount in strategic locations will forge a nice balance between subtle awareness and brand confidence.

A balance of aesthetics and functionality

Custom gym flooring doesn’t just mean branding. It also means implementing floor graphics and colours which can complement your branding. Popular choices include functional lines and floor graphics, like those that mark out certain sports or exercises. In such cases, the lines are there to support the very use of the flooring: essential and not necessarily for aesthetics. Functional lines mark out areas designated for different activities: rectangles for weight areas or metre markings for speed tracks and loaded carrying exercises, for example. 

For further customisation, you could create a pattern using different colours, or you could choose to colour-code different sections of flooring. Darker-coloured flooring in the free weights area and lighter-coloured flooring in the cardio zone, for example. By doing so, members can locate different sections by visual association. Specific colours are important in the science of colour theory, as they motivate members to perform their workouts with inspired energy.

Offer something a bit different

Increasingly, fitness facility operators are trying to break the mould in a quest to create something new: an alternative experience to the standard commercial gym model in an ultra-competitive market. Why not dare a little? Personal touches, whereby users can help to inspire the next person along in their fitness journey, could be the type of custom element that sets your facility apart. 

We’re not talking about graffiti or crazy effects but targeted personalisation that speaks directly to members. Text like phrases, quotes, challenges, proposals, and questions. For example, motivational phrases in the cardio area, dietary tips near the lockers, and quotes in the weight room. The possibilities are endless. Words can influence workout performance as much as colours and music. Motivate the mind to energise the body! 

Giving members an opportunity for exchange can stimulate discussion on various helpful topics. Daring a little by designating areas where anyone can temporarily write advice on the floor could positively affect performance and assist in the formation of a genuine and friendly community.

Conclusion

Customising gym or sports flooring is possible in various ways: From vulgar to subtle and functional to ornate. Virtually anything is feasible as long as you remain consistent with the values and vision of the facility. 

Now that you know how to customise gym or sports flooring, it’s up to you to identify the most suitable options for your requirements. With consistency and creativity, you can’t go wrong! 

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Disclaimer: The opinions and positions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and collaborators and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the professional fitness community.